Reporting from the Constitutional Convention

Transcription

1 Reporting from the Constitutional Convention A classroom play by Team HOPE Cast List James Madison ().. Constitutional Convention delegate, Virginia William Paterson ().... Constitutional Convention delegate, New Jersey Alexander Hamilton (HAM)... Constitutional Convention delegate, New York Gunning Bedford (BED)... Constitutional Convention delegate, Delaware Roger Sherman (SHERM)..... Constitutional Convention delegate, Connecticut Elijah Lovejoy ().anchor of The History News Report Margaret Fuller ().. reporter for The History News Report Nellie Bly (). reporter for The History News Report Ernie Pyle ().. reporter for The History News Report

2 TEACHER NOTES SETTING: A contemporary classroom. It is advised to set up the anchor in the front of the room facing the class. Some sort of background with The History New Report. You many choose to set up the different reporters conducting the interviews around the classroom and have the historical figures come to them. This way it gives the appearance of different locations. A name plate in front of each cast member is highly recommended. A 5x8 index card folded in half works great for this purpose. COSTUMES: Although not necessary, any period costumes for the historical figures are a great addition. Even a simple hat or wig is excellent. In this case, some microphones would be great for the reporters. MASKS: Masks are an easy addition that will add to the drama and make the entire event more fun for the students. First, go to and click on image search. Type in the historical figure s name and find an image of the person. Copy and paste the picture in a Word document. You may need to crop and then enlarge the photo so you get a picture large enough to be used as a mask. Portraits obviously work best for this use. Print out the picture and paste it onto a cardboard backing. You can tape a plastic spoon or popsicle stick to be used as a handle. Note: If there is a historical person you cannot find a picture for, don t despair! Almost any random period person s picture (as long as it not someone easily recognizable) would work as a mask. ROLES: Encourage students to act out the roles with as much energy as possible. Do not be too terribly concerned that the sex of the historical figure matching with the sex of the student. The teacher may decide to take a part in the play, role-modeling one of the historical figures. It is recommended that nine copies of the scripts are specifically set aside for each character in the play. For each character, highlight all their lines in order to facilitate a faster pace of dialogue. All other students should receive an unmarked copy of the play to read as the play is performed. OR AND REPORTERS: In order to facilitate the historical discussions that exist in the plays, actual famous journalist names have been used in the plays. Teachers should point out that these journalists come from different times in American history and do not necessarily reflect the period they report on. It is as if they can travel in time to deliver The History News Report. A teacher may also decide to substitute the names given in the script for student names if desired. A brief description of the journalists is as follows: Elijah Lovejoy ( ) A minister and journalist for the St. Louis Observer and later editor of the abolitionist newspaper the Alton Observer of Alton, Illinois. In 1837, pro-slavery forces attacked his warehouse in order to destroy his printing press and he was murdered on the scene. Margaret Fuller ( ) An early woman rights activist, Margaret was the first female journalist to work on the staff of a major American newspaper, The New York Tribune. She was a widely read literary critic who was also sent on overseas assignments to Europe. Nellie Bly ( ) After a writing a fiery rebuttal to a sexist column in the Pittsburgh Dispatch, Nellie was hired by a very impressed editor at the newspaper. She went on to become a famous investigative journalist on the plight of working women, and gained further fame for having faked insanity in order to investigate the treatment of the mentally ill. Ernie Pyle ( ) An American journalist who was a roving correspondent for Scripps Howard newspaper chain. His articles were read in over 200 newspapers. He is most famous for having been a war correspondent during World War II. He led the charge for Congress to give soldiers battle pay while in combat. He was killed by a Japanese sniper during fighting in the Pacific on April 18, DISCUSSION: Use the attached worksheets to facilitate discussion before and after the play. Students who are not directly involved in the play can attempt to write preliminary answers as the play is performed. The audience should be told that they will be the primarily responsible for the discussion questions at the end of the lesson.

3 Reporting from the Constitutional Convention (A Report by HNR News) NOTE: All responses by historical figures reflect actual events and beliefs as closely as possible CAST ABBREVIATIONS James Madison. William Paterson. Alexander Hamilton HAM Gunning Bedford BED Roger Sherman... SHERM Elijah Lovejoy. Margaret Fuller Nellie Bly Ernie Pyle Welcome to the History News Report. I am your anchor Elijah Lovejoy. Today we are reporting live from the Constitutional Convention that is taking place at Independence Hall, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. HNR News has reporters on the scene for live interviews of key players. For a live report let s got to HRN News reporter Margaret Fuller. Margaret? Yes, Elijah! Margaret, what brings all these famous men to Philadelphia at this time? As you know, Elijah, since the alarming affair known as Shay s Rebellion, a constitutional crisis has been growing. Last year s Annapolis Convention called for a revising of the inadequate Articles of Confederation and that has brought fifty-five delegates from around the country to Philadelphia. However, a critical point has been reached. What critical point is that? Well, a very emotionally charged debate is going on between the small states and large states. Competing plans have been submitted and the anger from both sides could destroy this convention, Elijah. Thanks Margaret, I ve just been told we have one of the key players of the debate, James Madison of Virginia, with our reporter Nellie Bly. We are going to cut to her for a live report. Nellie? Thanks, Elijah. I have James Madison right here. Mr. Madison, you are the author of the Virginia Plan are you not?

4 Yes, I am, Nellie. Could you give our audience and idea of what your plan for our new constitution contains? It is quite simple actually. First, I call for a complete scrapping of the Articles of Confederation. It is obvious that the Articles are wholly incapable of governing a large republic such as ours. Second, the Virginia Plan calls for a bicameral, or a two house legislature, elected by the people. The Articles of Confederation contains just a unicameral legislature, correct? That is correct Nellie, and the representatives are elected by the state legislatures, not the people. Will each state have equal representation, one vote each, as under the Articles? No. Representation will be dependent on population. Larger population states, such as New York and Virginia, will have more representatives in the new Congress. Furthermore, this new Congress can pass a law with a simple majority, whereas now the Articles typically require 9 of 13 states, and sometimes all the states. It is simply maddening to try to get anything done! What else does this radical plan contain? I also call for a single executive. The current Articles have no separate executive branch. We need a strong Commander-in-Chief to put down rebellions, enforce the law, and command an army in time of war. What if this executive abuses his office? It sounds like it has the potential for another Oliver Cromwell. That is going to be protected against by giving the new Congress the power to impeach the executive and remove him from office. Thank you Mr. Madison for explaining the highlights of the Virginia Plan. Back to you in the studio, Elijah. Great report, Nellie. We now turn to HNR News reporter Ernie Pyle who is just outside Independence Hall with another key player at the Convention. Ernie? Yes, Elijah, I have with me William Paterson, delegate from New Jersey, who disagrees with the Virginia Plan written by James Madison. Mr. Paterson, what exactly do you dislike about Mr. Madison s plan? The biggest problem is that it completely favors the large states.

5 BED BED When you say large states, you mean the states with the greatest population. Exactly, Ernie. Having a bicameral legislature based on population will simply mean that the small states will get treated like the ugly step child! We will have no power whatsoever in such a Congress. New York, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, the states with the largest populations, will dominate any such legislature. Of course, that s exactly what I think they intend to do! Do you have an alternative plan? I do. I just introduced for debate what is now dubbed The New Jersey Plan. The key point in this plan is that the states all have equal representation in a one house legislature, just as it is now under the Confederation Congress. All the states entered this union equally and the small states want to keep that equality! Small states must keep their rights as equal partners in this union! Fascinating. What is your recommendation for the Executive Branch? The executive branch would have more than one person serving, with those people appointed by the legislative branch. How is your plan different from the current Articles of Confederations? Well, I provide for both an executive and judicial branch at the federal level, which the Articles do not. Thanks Mr. Paterson. Back to you Elijah. Things are really heating up out there at the convention! I understand that Margaret has a very angry delegate from Delaware with her right now. Yes, Elijah, I have Delaware s Gunning Bedford with me right now. Mr. Bedford, you just spoke to the convention on the floor. Can you tell us what you said? I told those good for nothing large states that I do not trust them when they say they will never hurt or injure the lesser states! I do not believe them! We might as well not even exist if we rewrite a new constitution based on what Madison proposes. The small states have rights and we intend to protect them! What would you do if the Virginia Plan is accepted? The small states will find some foreign ally of more honor and good faith who will take them by the hand and do them justice! That is almost unthinkable? Surely you don t mean joining with Spain or France?

6 BED HAM HAM HAM HAM Anything would be better than being completely dominated in the new congress that Madison intends to force on us! Back to you Elijah! Wow, what a turn of events! Can you imagine if the small states seceded and joined with a foreign power? What a complete mess that would be! We now turn back to Nellie Bly who is standing by with Alexander Hamilton. Nellie? Mr. Hamilton, you just stunned the delegates with another proposal. Can you give us some details as to what you proposed? Sure Nellie. I felt that both plans were inadequate because they gave far too much power to the people! Too much power to the people! That sounds crazy! Nellie, there are few examples of democracies working in history. The more power the people had the more likely the government was run by a mob. People s opinions are turbulent and changing. One minute they support a new war and volunteer. The next minute they are marching in the street demanding its end after the first sign of trouble. We have to both protect the people from the government and protect them from themselves. What do you recommend? A purely national government, with states having no more power than counties do in relation to the states. Who will have the power in your new government? Mostly responsible men who own property. These men of wealth are the people who have the most stake in society, so they should be the ones making the decisions for the rest of the masses. Wow, thank you Mr. Hamilton for your time. Very radical ideas being tossed around down here at Independence Hall, Elijah! I should say Nellie! But I think things are rapidly changing again. Ernie is on the scene with Roger Sherman from Connecticut, who has just introduced what he hopes to be a compromise. Ernie? Yes, Elijah, as you said I am outside Independence Hall with Roger Sherman who has brought forth what people are already starting to call the Great Compromise. Mr. Sherman, what makes your compromise so Great?

7 SHERM SHERM It is quite simple. The national legislature would be comprised of two houses, just like Mr. Madison proposes in the Virginia Plan. The lower house would be called the House of Representatives and would be based on population. So the lower house would favor the large states? Correct. But the upper house, or Senate, would be based on the equality of the states. Each state would receive two senators each to be chosen by each state s legislature. My hope is that there is something for both sides to like. We shall see Mr. Sherman. Back to you Elijah! What a flurry of activity down at Independence Hall! It sounds like both sides will get what they want: representation based on population in the House of Representatives and equality of the states in the Senate! That s all we have time for now, this is Elijah Lovejoy reporting for HNR News.

8 America: The Last Best Hope, Chapter 4 Reflection and Choice Reporting from the Constitutional Convention (A Report by HNR News) SETTING THE SCENE Class discussion prior to the play is performed or read. Teacher may elect to explain the context of the Constitutional Convention (year, location, and influence of Shay s Rebellion) based on past lectures or readings, a short video clip, or briefly explain background prior to the play. Year Location Shay s Rebellion QUESTIONS FROM THE PLAY To be discussed as a class after the play is performed 1. How many delegates attended the Convention? 2. A major part of the debate was between which groups of states? 3. James Madison s plan was called the 4. Define bicameral. 5. Under Madison s plan, states got votes in Congress based on 6. What was Madison s plan for the Executive branch? Why? 7. Why did Patterson dislike Madison s plan? 8. Which states did Patterson fear? 9. What was the name of Patterson s plan? 10. How did it differ from Madison s plan? What did Delaware s Gunning Bedford threaten?

9 12. Alexander Hamilton argued both plans give too much power to 13. What did Hamilton offer as a solution? 14. Who would run the government according to Hamilton? 15. What was Connecticut delegate Roger Sherman s plan called? 16. How did Roger Sherman s plan differ from Madison s plan? 17. Ultimately, which plan was accepted? COMPARISON OF PLANS Use answers from the play questions to complete the chart. Place ideas from each plan underneath the appropriate heading. The comparison can also be the basis for an essay assignment. VIRGINIA PLAN NEW JERSEY PLAN HAMILTON S PLAN GREAT COMPROMISE